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Reading Lists

I started these reading lists 7 years ago because I wanted to see how many books I read in a year, people kept asking me to recommend books, and I don't always remember what books I've read. So the reading list was born.

It's moved a number of times, from a Wordpress list to a tumblr blog to an html/css page and now back to a simple blog. Formats changed throughout the year, and I'm too lazy to standardize it, so each year's list is slightly different.

I liked some books more than others, but all of them are worth reading. Worst book I ever read? The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. I refer to it as the Unbearable Absence of Plot... and don't get me started on the movie. (... and don't get me started on The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - that may be the worst book I've read in the 21st century!)

I publish a top 5 list every year. Here are my number one books from each year:

1. The Ryanverse by Tom Clancy (I spent 5 months in 2018 reading the canon and I'm only up to Debt of Honor! Most likely my fascination with classic Clancy is a need for the Ryan/Clark duo to show up and save us in 2019.)2. So Big by Edna Ferber - 2017
3. Underground Airlines by Ben Winters - 2016
4. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - 2015
5. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - 2014
6. Sex & Violence by Cassie Mesrobian - 2013
7. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami and 11/22/63 by Stephen King (the former, because it's one of the best books ever, the latter, because it helped me through the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy) - 2012
8. Game of Thrones because duh! - 2011

Reading List 2019

1. How the Internet Happened: From Netscape to the iPhone by Brian McCollough

2. Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich
3. The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn
4. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
5. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
6. Pride by Ibi Zoboi
7. The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
8. Full Force and Effect by Tom Clancy (he's back!)
9. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
10. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
11. Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
12. The Clockmaker's Daughter Kate Morton
13. The Benefits of Being and Octopus by Ann Braden (read in ONE DAY!)

Reading List 2018

1. Column of Fire by Ken Follett (I know it's the last book in 2017, but it's almost 1000 pages so it qualifies for 2 entries!)

2. Kill Shot by Vince Flynn (audiobook)

3. Exit Music by Ian Rankin

4. Righteous by Joe Idea (audiobook)

5. Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin

6. Startup by Doree Shafrir

7. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

8. Enchantress of Numbers by Jennifer Chiaverini

9. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger (audio)

10. Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick

11. The Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbrick

12. Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger (audio)

13. & 14. Grant by Ron Chernow (925 pages - it was like a job - so it's also book #14)

35. You Belong To Me Karen Rose
36. Kind is the New Classy by Candace Cameron Bure
37. A Higher Loyalty by James Comey (audio)
38. A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick (audio)
39. Holy Ghost by John Sanford
40. Past Tense by Lee Child

Jack Ryan Jr. Series (The titles make absolutely no sense, but the books are fun.):

41. Point of Contact by Mike Maden

42. The Teeth of the Tiger by Tom Clancy

43. Dead or Alive by Tom Clancy and Grant Blackwood

44. Locked On by Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney

45. Threat Vector by Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney

46. Command Authority by Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney

Classic Ryanverse

47. Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy

48. Patriot Games by Tom Clancy

49. The Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy50. Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy51. The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy52. Debt of Honor by Tom Clancy

7. The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair byJoël Dicker8. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas (audio)9. My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem10. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson11. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas12. The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson13. Isabella of Castileby Giles Tremlett14. Behind the Mask by Louisa May Alcott (audio)15. Britt-Marie Was Hereby Fredrik Backman16. The End of Oz by Danielle Paige17. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman18. A Gentleman in Moscowby Amor Towles19. Badlands by C. J. Box
20. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
21. The Last Queen by C. W. Gortner
22. Jellicoe Roadby Melina Marchetta
23. The Book Jumperby Mechthild Gläser
24. The Switch by Joseph Finder
25. Firebug by Lish McBride
26. Wuthering Heights by EmilyBrontë
27. My Husband's Wife by Jane Sorry
28. The Time In Between by Maria Duenas
29. The Fix by David Baldacci
30. Memory Man by David Baldacci
31. The Last Mile by David Baldacci
32. Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
33. Paradise Valley by C. J. Box
34. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
35. Giant by Edna Ferber
36. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
37. So Big by Edna Ferber
38. Cimarron by Edna Ferber
37. Show Boat by Edna Ferber
38. Amy Snow by Tracy Rees
39. The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington
40. Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon
41. The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
42. Dracula by Bram Stoker
43. 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King
44. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
45. Thornhill by Pam Smy45. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
46. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
47. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
48. The Midnight Line by Lee Child
49. Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovitch
50. Deep Freeze by John Sandford
51. The Genius Plague by David Walton
52. Not a Drill by Lee Child (Audiobook)
53. The Mistletoe Murders by P. D. James (audiobook)
54. The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman (audiobook)
55. Too Much Time by Lee Child (Audiobook)
56. Column of Fire by Ken Follett

51. Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People by Nadia Bolz-Weber52. Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden53. Escape Clause by John Sanford54. The Girl in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware55. A Deadly Affection by Cuyler Overholt56. Turbo Twenty-Three by Janet Evanovich57. IQ by Joe Ide58. This is Our Story by Ashley Elston59. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (a wonderful read at Christmas)60. Night School by Lee Child61. Stillwater by Melissa Lenhardt62. Bone Dust White by Karin Salvalaggio

63. Burnt River by Karin Salvalaggio

Reading List 2015

1. The Apartment by Greg Baxter
2. The Infinity Code by Alex Scarrow
3. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
4. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
5. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
6. The Truth about Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
7. How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon
8. Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot
9. The Vacationers by Emma Straub
10. Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
11. Northern Lights by Nora Roberts
12. The Martian by Andy Weir (Courtesy of Fallon - lot like Wool - could be called “Matt Damon in Space”)
13. For the King by Catherine Delors
14. Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule by Jennifer Chiaverini
15. Mistress of the Revolution by Catherine Delors
16. A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner
17. The Fires of Autumn by Irene Nemirovsky
18. The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson
19. Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran
20. Murder Simply Brewed by Vanetta Chapman
21. Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton
22. The Liar by Nora Roberts
23. Hopeless by Darcy Darbin (my student!)
24. Stand By Me by Neta Jackson
25. Come to the Table by Neta Jackson
26. The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
27. Submerged by Dani Pettrey
28. Shattered by Dani Pettrey
29. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
30. The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
31. China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan
32. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkinsy
33. Paperweight by Meg Haston
34. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
35. Roadside Assistance by Amy Clipston
36. The Fixer by Joseph Finder
37. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
38. Destination Unknown by Amy Clipson
39. Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari (audiobook)
40. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & david Levithan (The Strand!!! 'nuff said)
41. Ruby by Cynthia Bond
42. Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
43. Airman's Wife by Renee Shann (a WWII lovestore complete with a bigamist published in 1944 before they knew how the war ended!)
44. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (summer reading)
45. City of Light by Lauren Belfer
46. Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
47. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi
48. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
49. The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
50. Make Me by Lee Child
51. The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz
52. X by Sue Grafton
53. War Room by Chris Fabry
54. Hostage Taker by Stephanie Pinkoff
55. Paris, Modigliani, & Me by Jaqueline Kosolov
56. A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George
57. The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen
58. Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovitch
59. City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg (took the entire month of December but so work it!
60. Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin (audiobook)
61. Lady Maybe by Julie Klassen

Reading List 2014

1. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
2. The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
3. Hild by Nicola Griffith
4. The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson (highly recommend!)
5. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
6. The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos
7. The Last Days of California by Mary Miller
8. Inheritance by Natalie Danford
9. The Tyrant’s Daughter by J. C. Carleson
10. Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini
11. Mrs. Lincoln’s Rival by Jennifer Chiaverini
12. The English Girl by Daniel Silva
13. Do or Die by Suzanne Brockmann
14. Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich
15. The Witness by Nora Roberts
16. Angel Falls by Nora Roberts(Can you tell it’s that time in the school year when teachers need a little - ok a lot - of brain candy?)
17. The Collector by Nora Roberts
18. Stolen by Lucy Christopher
19. A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy
20. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor
21. Invisible City by Julia Dahl
22. The Marrying of Chaini Kaufman by Eve Harris
23. Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer
24. We were Liars by E. Lockhart (first book of summer vacation - read it in a DAY!)
25. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (a Gail Plumeri recommendation)
26. My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff (read it, especially if you are not a fan of Salinger)
27. Suspicion by Joseph Finder
28. The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell (June selection of the iMake book club and an incredible read)
29. Chop Chop by Simon Wroe
30. The Pink Suit by Nicole Mary Kelby
31. Longbourn by Jo Baker
32. Pride and Prejudice (Librivox recording) by Jane Austen
33. The Storyteller by Jodi Picault (July selection of the iMake book club)
34. Landline by Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor and Park for grown ups!)
35. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
36. The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
37. One Plus One by Jojo Meyes
38. A Paris Apartment by Michelle Gable
39. Bread and Butter by Michelle Wildgen
40. Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich
41. Delicious! by Ruth Reichl
42. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
43. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
44. Like No Other by Una LaMarche
45. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
46. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
47. Rutherford Park by Elizabeth Cooke
48. The Wild Dark Flowers by Elizabeth Cooke
49. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (every parent and teacher should read this
50. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
51. Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes
52. Being Audrey Hepburn by Mitchell Kriegman
53. Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley
54. Paper Towns by John Green (finally a John Green book I like - it’s a YA miracle!)
55. Dark of the Moon by John Sandford
56. Heat Lightening by John Sandford
57. Personal by Lee Child
58. Perfectly Good White Boy by Cassie Mesrobian
59. No Dawn without Darkness by Dayna Lorentz
60. Rough Country by John Sandford
61. Bad Blood by John Sandford
62. The Doubt Factory by Paolo Bacigalupi
63. Invisible Ellen by Shari Shattuck
64. The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston
65. Shockwave by John Sandford
66. Mad River by John Sandford
67. Storm Front by John Sandford
68. Deadline by John Sandford
69. 19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult
70. Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon

Reading List 2013

1. The Married Man by Edmund White
2. Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
3. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
5. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
6. The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
7. Rumors by Anna Godbersen
8. Riot (audio) by Walter Dean Myers
9. Envy by Anna Godbersen
10. Splendor by Anna Godbersen
11. Days of Blood and Starlight by by Laini Taylor
12. Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
13. Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen
14. The Lucky Ones by Anna Godbersen
15. Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
16. Divergent by Veronica Roth
17. Perry’s Killer Playlist by Joe Schreiber
18. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
19. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
20. Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
21. Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
22. The List by Karin Tanabe
23. Dark Tide by Elizabeth Haynes
24. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
25. The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa
26. Wool by Hugh Howey
27. Shift by Hugh Howey
28. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
29. Monument 14 by Emma Laybourne
30. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
31. Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargos Llosa
32. Illuminate by Aimee Agresti
33. Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
34. Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
35. Flygirl by Sherri Smith
36. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
37. Time Riders by Alex Scarrow
38. Time Riders: The Doomesday Code by Alex Scarrow
39. Time Riders: The Eternal War by Alex Scarrow
40. No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz (review on podcast)
41. Time Riders: Gates of Rome by Alex Scarrow
42. Time Riders: City of Shadows by Alex Scarrow
43. No Easy Way Out by Dayna Lorentz (review on podcast)
44. Dark Eyes by William Richter
45. The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
46. Viral Nation by Shaunta Grimes
47. Reboot by Amy Tintara
48. The Pirate Kings by Alex Scarrow
49. The Dinner by Herman Koch
50. In the After by Demitria Lunetta
51. Dust by Hugh Howey
52. The Mayan Prophecy by Alex Scarrow
53. Monument 14: Sky on Fire by Emmy Laybourne
54. The Last President by John Barnes
55. Bleeding Edge by Thomas Pynchon
56. W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton
57. Maze Runner by James Dashner
58. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
59. Never Look Back by Lee Child
60. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
61. Every Day by David Levithan
62. You Against Me by Jennie Downham
61.Allegiant by Veronica Roth
63. Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo
64. Sex & Violence by Carrie Mesrobian Best book I read in 2013
65. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
66. The Dinner Party: Judy Chicago & the Power of Popular Feminism by Jane F. Gerhard
67. UnHoly by Neal Shusterman
68. Reality Boy by A. S. King (audio)
69. Subway Girl by P. J. Converse
70. The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle (probably the worst book I read this year)